Amavi arrived at Villa Park last summer, and was an instant hit with the club’s supporters with his displays at left-back.

Having proven to be one of the more successful acquisitions 12 months ago, it was a huge blow for the club to see him ruled out for most of the season after suffering a serious knee injury while on international duty with the French Under-21 side.

As he continues his comeback and return to full fitness, he has been relishing the challenge ahead in terms of playing his part in ensuring Villa secure immediate promotion back to the Premier League, but a move to Anfield would certainly be appealing.

Nevertheless, it doesn’t appear as though he’ll be going anywhere ahead of the new campaign, with Xia insisting that he firmly plans on keeping him and will look to continue to invest in the squad moving forward.